Day 3 – time to quit lazing around. Our favourite thing to do in a new city (well OK we did come here over 25 years ago on a Contiki tour) is to buy a transport pass, and ride the rails.  Having deemed it too hot for anything more than short strolls, we opted for a 2 day Hop On Hop Off bus ticket – unlike Reykjavik, they are not on strike in Vienna).  This includes four separate bus routes, plus a guided walking tour, and a night tour. That should keep us well and truly occupied, without requiring too much legging it.

The buses are clean, punctual, and not crowded. There is a nice breeze if you sit up top. It was a very pleasant way of getting around the city, and learning a bit along the way from the pleasant lady on the multi lingual audio guide.  We began by catching two trains (also very clean and efficient – leaves Melbourne’s for dead), to Karlsplatz, one of the large inner city stations. We popped up at the State Opera building, one of Vienna’s many gracious, elegant classical buildings.

Quickly on board the Red line bus, we pulled out onto the Ringstrasse, to see the most famous sights. This is the part of Vienna that most tourists visit, and many do not get much further. Vienna is 50% green space. It has wide boulevards, and bike paths everywhere. There is an air of calm efficiency despite the many forms of transport all going in a multitude of directions. The cars, trams, carriages, bikes and pedestrians all seem to co-exist quite peaceably.

Hopping on and off

State Opera

Some of Vienna’s classical buildings on the Ring

The lamp post outside this church have little churches on them!

We completed a loop of about an hour, before changing onto the Green line. In between, we had time for a fragrant stroll around a beautiful public garden, with thousands of roses in full bloom.

One two three – inhale!

The Green line offers something a bit different, as it heads up to the top of nearby Kahlenberg, Vienna’s local mountain, (think Mt Dandenong, but in Kensington).  After leaving the central city, the bus took us through Dobling, and on to Grinzing, one of Vienna’s unique “heurigen”, or wine villages. With its narrow cobbled streets, sloping roofs, and onion domed church, you could be in a Bavarian village way out in the country, instead of right on the edge of Austria’s capital city. It even has its own vineyard, lots of cellar doors, and restaurants galore.

Grinzing wine village

We pressed on uphill and into the leafy green forest which blankets the slopes of the mountain. The driver stopped near the top for the view back over the city, although it was quite hazy today.  After turning around at the top, he flew back down the hill to complete the loop.  With the wind in our hair and the waft of fresh air in our nostrils, it was very pleasant indeed.

View from Kahlenberg

On our route back, we spotted a large shiny golden ball suspended on a tower. Deciding that it merited a closer look, we left the bus at the Rathaus, and reboarded the train to Spittelau, the industrial part of Vienna, and quite a contrast to the elegance of the Ring.  There we had a close up look at the thermal waste treatment plant, designed by famous architect Hundertwasser. It is wonderfully bizarre, and a glimpse into the side of Vienna that many never see. Hundertwasser was an artist, architect, environmentalist, and detester of straight lines. Born in Austria, he spent his later life in New Zealand.

Spittelau waste incineration plant, designed by Hundertwasser

Not all of Vienna is pretty. The mountain in the background is Kahlenberg

Our day is not quite complete – tonight we have an early dinner, then back into the city for our evening tour.